How Mass Media Encourages Teens to Drink and Smoke

According to research, mass media is one of the main reasons why teens pick up drinking and smoking. When they see their favorite actors drinking and smoking, they feel like doing it themselves and look “cool.” The first reason why teens want to drink and smoke is not because they want to get high, but they want to look “cool” just like the actors and celebrities they admire.

Reasons why movies and TV shows need to stop showing actors drinking and smoking

There are more than 400 compounds in cigarettes that are damaging to us, for example, tar, a cancer-causing substance; nicotine, an addictive substance that prompts cholesterol levels to rise; and Carbon monoxide, a gas that reduces the oxygen level in the body.

Just like cigarettes, alcohol also has many harmful effects on the body and some of the main harms caused by alcohol are reduction of grey matter in the brain (which helps in cognitive thinking); and liver damage.

I know the harmful effects of alcohol and tobacco. Therefore, I do not drink or smoke. However, every time I see Lucifer (the central character in the TV show Lucifer) smoke or drink, I feel like trying myself.  I am an adult, therefore, I can control myself, but does a teen have self restrain? Definitely not. That’s why teen smoking is alarming in every country.

How to Stop Teen Drinking

Drinking alcohol is a grave problem in society. Even more is when the teens start drinking alcohol as fun, in parties, gatherings, etc. and soon it becomes a habit. The worst thing about teen drinking is you cannot stop them because once they reach legal age (18 years in many counties), they can drink as much alcohol as they can.

Alcohol is bad because it...

• Weakens immune system

• Disrupts sleep

• Cause diabetes

• Makes heartbeat irregular

• Makes bones thin, depletes muscles

• Changes hormonal balance

How can you help your teen stop drinking alcohol? The easiest ways are by making them aware of the adverse effects of drinking and asking them to choose non-drinking friends

If the teen has a friend who drinks alcohol, it is more likely that he/she will drink. Encourage teens to leave friends who are not willing to give up drinking, and befriend those who do not drink or who have given up alcohol.

How to Teach Smoking Hazards to Teens and Help Them Quit Smoking

In the United States, 480,000 people die due to smoking-related health complications. This is one-fifth of total deaths in the US per year. Every day 1300 Americans die due to smoking. The figure for smoking-related death worldwide is 8 million. 

Smoking is the main reason behind mouth cancer, throat cancer, and lung cancer. Smoking causes cardiovascular disease, which means you will have poor blood circulation, chest pain, heart attacks, and strokes. You will die early.

• Smoking causes high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

• Smoking causes fertility problems. You will have problems in conception.

• Continuous smoking blocks the vessels to the brain. This can cause dementia.

• Smoking causes mouth cancer, lung cancer, and throat cancer. Study shows 90 percent of lung cancer cases are because of smoking.

• Eyes are sensitive to smoke. Smoking increases the risk of cataracts.

Do You Smoke? Quit Smoking Now

If you smoke and in case you have not tried to quit smoking yet, here are the points to consider:

Health Risks of Smoking:

If you think smoking occasionally has no harm, read this. A single cigarette will reduce your life by 11 minutes.

So, you smoke only at parties or to socialize. Do you realize even smoking only at parties or to socialize can be really dangerous as every cigarette you smoke will obstruct blood circulation for more than an hour?

If occasional smoking can be that harmful, what would be the effect of smoking on the body if you are a heavy smoker? Well, continuous smoking can reduce your life by seven to eight years.

If you are a man you need to read this: Smoking causes erectile dysfunction in men. Stop smoking immediately.

First published on Trendri, in author's name